


Just the Last Night on Earth Again

by Geonn



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Epilogue, F/F, First Time, Romance, Roughness, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 20:40:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4849823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geonn/pseuds/Geonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the season 3 finale, Shaw can only think of one place she can go before starting a new life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just the Last Night on Earth Again

After walking away from Root, Shaw walked until she admitted to herself she had no idea where she was going. She had money in her pocket and a whole new identity waiting to be fleshed out. There were eyes in the sky and an Orwellian army hunting her and everyone she cared about. She stood on the corner with her hands in her pockets and waited. She waited for inspiration to strike. She waited for one street to look different from all the others, to become the clear path she should take.

Eventually she has to move. Samaritan might be trying to find them using surveillance cameras and cell phones, but they had operatives with eyes and brains. If she was just lingering on the corner, eventually someone would spot her. So she went north and hoped inspiration struck before she reached water. The city looked different now that she’d peeked under the hood. Everywhere she looked was a video camera. Every inch of the city was covered. There were satellites, too, hovering invisibly somewhere high above. Watching.

Every siren that chirped to life, every squad car she passed, she prepared for a fight. But whatever Root had done to Samaritan’s brain seemed to have been comprehensive. The only time she was given a second glance was when someone wanted to gawk at her. She hated when she was only seen as an ass, a pair of tits, a pretty face. She tried dressing to discourage that kind of attention, but it was hardly foolproof. Hell, it didn’t even work on Root.

That was an idea. Not necessarily a good idea. But she had a piece of information she’d been holding close to the vest. If she didn’t play it now, there was a good possibility she’d never get the chance. She stopped walking to orient herself and then turned left. A year earlier, Root found out where Shaw lived and used that information to kidnap her. Shaw made it her mission to repay the favor. Maybe not kidnapping, but an invasion of personal space to even the score. By the time she found it, the psychopath was helping Reese and Finch more often than not and revealing her knowledge didn’t seem prudent. Now they were on the run...

She could hardly believe she was living her last moments as Sameen Shaw. She hadn’t yet looked at the new identification Root gave her. She didn’t want to tarnish the end of one life by getting a head-start on the next. The past year had been one of her favorite lives. Helping the innocent by taking out anyone that tried to hurt them. It was like a combination of both her previous paths: the doctor, identifying the problem, and the assassin, eliminating the danger before it became fatal. She took pride in what she did. Now she’d have to do something different.

There was no single address, no fixed apartment or penthouse where she lay her head. No, the woman called Root traveled quickly and lightly. She stayed in the finest room of the finest hotel before moving to the next one. She had a rolodex of identities she used to procure the rooms, a habit Shaw doubted Finch or Reese would approve of. Shaw didn’t plan on telling them. Let Root have her secrets from the boys.

Root’s transient nature made it slightly more difficult than normal to pay her a visit. She couldn’t just hop in a cab and rattle off an address. She would want to stay relatively close to the subway station in cast of emergency. Root liked the Waldorf, but she stayed there four months ago. She wouldn’t have gone back so soon. Likewise the Plaza and the Four Seasons. In fact, she’d been staying in a lot of fancy hotels lately... Shaw smirked at that realization and headed off once more.

She knew exactly where Root was staying.

#

The library was located a few blocks west of Central Park. It wasn’t quite as sprawling or Gothic as Finch’s previous hideaway, but it would do in a pinch. The former reading room was set up like a college dormitory; bed, bookshelves, and an array of computers that would make Bill Gates drool. Shaw stood in the doorway and scanned the area. She had known how to find Root for months, but she’d never actually violated the other woman’s privacy. Now it seemed like a moot point since they were all going to shed their skins and go into hiding in other identities. 

There weren’t many personal items. Books, of course, were stacked between the bed and the wall. A few were scatted on the nightstand. Shaw picked one up to read the spine and flipped through it. Nothing of interest. She put it back and hooked her finger on the drawer’s handle. She pulled it open and smiled when she saw the small egg-shaped vibrator roll up alongside a surprisingly humble dildo. It was the first bit of evidence Root had any sort of human needs and she was grateful to see it.

She pushed the drawer shut and spoke with her back to the doorway. “Don’t worry. You’re the one who always brings the taser.”

“Maybe I’d relax if I thought you needed a taser.” Root’s tone was light, but there was tension in it that Shaw had been hearing since New Jersey. She turned and saw the sentiment echoed on the normally elfin features of Root’s face. “What are you doing here, Sam? I told you, we can’t have any contact with each other. At least not for the first few months.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Shaw muttered. “New home every week. New ID in your wallet to go with it. When was the last time letting go actually cost you anything?”

Root said, “It’s not how often you let go; it’s how much it hurts the times you’ve lost people.” She finally came into the room and went to the nightstand. “You really shouldn’t have come. We’re in a lot of danger just being in the same place.”

“From who? No working cameras within a block of here. I’m sure that was your doing.”

“Yeah, and if Samaritan looks long enough without results, it’s going to start looking for anomalies like a block-wide blind spot. They found Harold’s library before they were even at full power. How long do you think it will take them to find this one? We need to go.”

Shaw put her hand on Root’s arm. Root stopped and looked at it, then at Shaw. Shaw returned her gaze without blinking. 

“If this is my last night as Sameen Shaw, and your last night as Root, then I think we have some unfinished business.”

Root’s expression shifted just a fraction. It was a sea-change from hurried fear to calm aggression. She turned to face Shaw fully so she would be at less of a disadvantage if it did come to violence. She pulled her arm away from Shaw’s grasp.

“Are you going to kill me, Sameen?”

“That would be kind of stupid, seeing as I just risked my life to save yours.” She took a step closer, tilting her head back to hold eye contact. “No. This stopped being about revenge a long time ago. I don’t know what’s going on with us. Those looks you give me. Those little comments. But I’ve left a lot of my lives in the dust. The good daughter. The doctor. The government assassin. There were always regrets. There were always other victims left behind when I moved on. Just once I want to try no regrets.”

Root said, “Sounds nice.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? World’s ending, Root. Make it count.”

They stood facing each other long enough Shaw thought Root wasn’t going to do anything. Shaw started to say something else, provocation or a withdrawal of the offer, but Root brought both hands up to rest them on Shaw’s face. She tilted her head back and stooped slightly to bring their lips together. Root’s hands were like ice on Shaw’s cheeks, but she was focused on the pressure of Root’s mouth on hers. It had been ages since she’d been kissed like this, kissed with intent and purpose. She moved forward, rising onto her toes and teased Root’s lips apart with her tongue.

Root pulled back and dropped her hands to Shaw’s shoulders. “We need to talk about this.”

Shaw urged her toward the bed. “No talking.”

“No... we need to decide who is going to be on top. Who is going to be in charge?” She smiled nervously, her hands skimming up and down Shaw’s arms without actually touching her. “I get the feeling you want to be dominant.”

“Well, it would be a nice change of pace.”

“Oh, Sam,” Root whispered, leaning in for another kiss, “you’ve been in charge since the moment we met. You make me so weak.” Her top lip rested on Shaw’s. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

Shaw put her arms around Root’s neck and bent her knees slightly. Root picked up on her intention and moved her hands down Shaw’s ass a moment before she hooked one leg around Root’s waist. The other leg came up a second later and Root took Shaw’s weight, kissing her as she spun them toward the bed. Root’s strength was surprising. She was able to place Shaw gently on the mattress without dropping her or grunting from exertion. Her hands squeezed the curves of Shaw’s ass before letting go, dragging her fingers down the back of Shaw’s thighs as she sat up and gazed down at her.

“Also, I don’t think I’m going to be very good at this... you’ll have to show me what to do.”

Shaw pushed up onto her elbows. Root tried to smile but her lips wouldn’t hold the expression without shaking. She touched Shaw’s face and then her hair. Shaw held eye contact as she reached back and let her hair down. Root lifted her hands and then brought them down in Shaw’s hair, laughing quietly as she stroked it.

“You look so good with your hair down.”

Shaw put her palm flat against Root’s and guided it away. “We’ve done compliments. We’ve done flirting.” She pushed her fingers between Root’s. “This is about the next part.”

Root stared at her without blinking. Shaw realized she would have to take the initiative, so she focused on getting Root’s clothes off. Root leaned back and stared, transfixed, as first her overshirt was unbuttoned and tossed aside. The tank top she wore underneath was next. Shaw was quick and methodical, lying back as she unbuttoned Root’s pants. Root was able to help her take them off and, when she was down to just her underwear, she straddled Shaw’s waist. She grabbed for Shaw’s collar, but Shaw slapped her hands away again.

“Wait,” Shaw snapped. “I want to look at you. It’s been a while since I was with a woman.” She put her hand on Root’s stomach and stroked the smooth skin with her thumb.

Root stared down at her. “That night I broke into your apartment, I watched you. I had to wait for you to wake up, and I just stared at you. You were so beautiful. The rise and fall of your breasts.” Her voice was breathy. “Sometimes I touch myself and wish you had been sleeping in the nude. I would have dressed you before I dragged you away.”

“I like the idea of you touching yourself.”

Root chuckled. “You saw my toys.” She guided Shaw’s hand lower so her questing fingers could touch her underwear. She gasped and closed her eyes. “Sam...”

“What?”

“Yes.”

“Say it.”

Root started to comply, but her voice wouldn’t cooperate. “Touch me.”

Shaw’s thumb dipped into Root’s underwear. Root gasped and gripped Shaw’s forearm, lifting up in an attempt to push Shaw’s hand into a more favorable position. Shaw resisted. She stroked the soft hair of Root’s mound and used her outer two fingers to touch her thighs. Root trembled above her, thighs squeezing Shaw between them as she arched her back. Shaw’s free hand moved to Root’s shoulder and dug in. Root cried out in pain and her lips curled into a smile. 

“You’re going to leave a bruise...”

“More than one.”

“Promises, promises.”

Shaw said, “The bra. Take it off.”

Root opened her eyes to watch Shaw as she complied. When it was unhooked, Root crossed both arms across her chest to hold it in place.

“I’ve never been naked with anyone before.”

“You’re a virgin,” Shaw said skeptically.

“I didn’t say that. Just... nude...” She made a face and hunched her shoulders. “But for you? Sameen?” She dropped her arms and let the bra fall away. 

Shaw thought about saying something sarcastic, but she understood how important the moment was for Root. She broke eye contact and slowly turned her gaze to Root’s bare chest. She was gorgeous. Lean. Muscular. Scarred. Shaw couldn’t hold back a gasp as she moved her free hand down to trace one of the pinkish-brown arcs that formed a map on Root’s hip. Root looked down and watched the progress Shaw made from one old wound to the next.

“Hazards of the job.” Root nodded at Shaw’s bandaged arm where she’d cut out the RFID chip. “And now we have matching ones.”

“Something to remember each other by.”

“I won’t need the help.”

Shaw wet her lips and touched Root’s breast. She teased the nipple as her other hand worked between Root’s legs, her arms twisted into a peculiar angle. Rearranging herself meant that she ended up chest-to-chest with Root. Their eyes met and they looked at each other. They’d known each other for over a year now, an acquaintanceship that began with attempted murder and continued on with various shades of aggression. Root was crazy and dangerous, but she was never wrong. Somehow certainty in that fact caused her to become someone Shaw trusted with her life.

“I drove with the headlights off for you.”

Root smiled. “I remember.”

“I let you drive the damn bike. And the jet.”

Root chuckled. It made her breasts move, and Shaw was momentarily distracted. “Goddamn,” Shaw said under her breath. “When did you become the person I trusted most in the world?”

Root brushed Shaw’s hair off her shoulder and bent down to kiss her throat. She pushed her hands under Shaw’s jacket and began searching for buttons or catches. Shaw shrugged out of her jacket and helped Root out by peeling the shirt off. Root’s lips and tongue were like magic on her neck.

“Sure you’ve never done this before?”

The sound of Root’s chuckle was seismic right next to Shaw’s ear. “I’ve seduced,” she whispered. “I’ve let people touch my body to get what I want.” She dragged her tongue up to Shaw’s earlobe. “I’ve gotten good at it. What I’m not good at is... when the touching is the endgame. I don’t want anything from you, Sameen. I just want you.”

“Then take me.”

“No... I want you to have me.” She leaned back and touched Shaw’s breasts. Shaw looked down to watch as her bra was unhooked. Root’s eyes were wide, shining in the darkness. She bent down and Shaw leaned back. Root kissed Shaw’s chest, her cleavage and the curve of her breast down to her nipple. Shaw grunted and put her hand on the back of Root’s head. Impulsively, she bent down and kissed her hair. She’d had rough sex before. She’d had borderline dangerous sex. When she’d fantasized about how it would happen with Root, she imagined breaking the bed. Tenderness was unexpected and unfamiliar.

“I’m still wearing my pants.”

“Oh...”

“Take them off,” Shaw whispered.

Root lifted her head. “Call me Samantha.”

“That’s not your name.”

“You’ve never called me that. You’ve respected the name I chose. But right now, just this once, I want to hear the name I was given. If you’re the last person to ever call me that, I want it to be right now with the taste of you on my tongue.”

Shaw whispered, “Samantha.”

She closed her eyes. “Now the--”

“Root.”

“Thank you.” She stretched out and Shaw stretched up. Her pants were quickly tugged down her legs, her shoes roughly removed and tossed away. Root’s hands were trembling when she touched Shaw’s thighs to push them apart. Shaw put her hands under her head and watched Root’s reaction. Root lowered herself and pressed her face against the thin material of Shaw’s underwear. She exhaled, and the breath passing over cotton was almost enough to set Shaw off.

“Careful...”

“Sorry.” Root brushed the underwear aside. There was no foreplay, no teasing licks or kisses. Shaw arched off the bed. Her toes curled as Root immediately attacked her. She put the heel of her hand on Root’s forehead.

“Slow.”

“No.”

“Root...”

“Come for me, Sam.”

Shaw growled and writhed. She didn’t want it to be this quick, didn’t want it to be over while she was still wearing her underwear, but Root had spoken with her lips and tongue still brushing her folds. It was ecstasy and torture. Even if she wanted to hold off, deprive herself, teach Root a lesson, she knew she would only be hurting herself. She needed the orgasm. It had been ages. And even a novice like Root was better than her own fingers.

She looked down and saw Root’s face framed by her thighs, those hands that were so deadly with a pair of handguns splayed on her stomach. She brought Root’s right hand up to her mouth, wet two fingers, and then guided it to her clit. “There,” she gasped, “there, there.”

“Here?”

“Don’t stop what you’re doing with your tongue.” 

She guided Root’s fingers until she knew the rhythm. When she let go she cupped her own breasts and arched up off the bed. She grunted Root’s name, trying to hold her breath and pant at the same time. Her face was flush and Root was still teasing her with finger and tongue and now it really was torture. It was the TASER all over again, it was the paralytic drug that Root injected her with the day they met, it was both at the same time and it was worse than either. 

When Root kept licking, Shaw grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her away. “Stop,” she said. She closed her thighs to protect her sensitive sex, her legs shaking as she repositioned herself so she was sitting on her knees. She tugged Root’s hair again and Root cried out in pain tinged with pleasure, her eyes dancing when she looked up at Shaw. Her lips were parted and her cheeks were flushed bright red, her jaw shaking as she knelt in front of Shaw.

“Please.”

“Has anyone else ever given you an orgasm?”

“I don’t know...”

“That’s a no. Come here.”

She twisted them around and pressed herself against Root’s back. One arm went around Root’s stomach while the other was planted between her legs. Root sagged against her, head on Shaw’s shoulder, her hands playing with her breasts as Shaw teased her with two fingers. She stroked Root’s trembling stomach and moved her lips to her ear. 

“Is this what you wanted?”

“Yes...”

“All the flirting. All your little comments. The way you looked at me, the way you touched me. This is what you were after all along.”

“Yes, Sam. Please. Sameen.”

“Say I win.”

Root managed to slip a grin into the convulsions her face was making. “Maybe... c-call it a tie.”

“Maybe I stop what I’m doing and walk away. We never see each other again.”

“No!” Root clapped her hand over Shaw’s. “Don’t. You win. You win, Sameen. Please don’t stop. I’m so close.”

Shaw pushed two fingers inside. Root let out a cry, and Shaw had to slap her hand over the other woman’s mouth to keep the sound from trailing. Gags. That was something they could definitely use next time. If there was a next time. And if there wasn’t... well...

She held tightly to Root until she went limp, sagging forward against the arm Shaw had wrapped around her midsection. When she’d had ample time to catch her breath, Shaw pulled her back up. Root turned her head and their lips found each other again. Root sank into Shaw’s body, and Shaw supported her weight as their tongues met and teased. 

When Root pulled away, Shaw bit down on her bottom lip and pulled. Root grinned. 

“Now what?” Shaw asked.

“Now we run. We don’t look back.” She touched Shaw’s cheek. “No matter how much we might want to. Thank you, though. For tonight. It’s more than I could have hoped for. But we really do need to go. Samaritan...”

Shaw nodded and pulled away. It was harder than she expected. 

They dressed quickly. Root shoved some of her things into a bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. She walked away without saying anything, but she stopped at the doorway and looked back. Shaw met her gaze and held it for an eternally-long ten count. Shaw broke the stare to smooth the cuff of her trousers over her boot. When she looked up again, Root was gone. She looked around to see if anything important was left, then headed for a different exit than the one Root had taken. Root may have conceded victory, but Shaw had looked away first.

Even if this was the end of their dance, she had to admit that it was definitely a draw.


End file.
